Out of the Darkness
by Nikana Reklawyks
Summary: For 13 years, Ajané has been torn apart by civil war. The prophecy has not yet been fulfilled, and the king's advisors have suggested sending a group of ambassadors to Coruscant to plead for help from the New Republic. However, the only people brave enough to go are four teenagers who don't even know each other. First in a series following the adventures of Nikana Reklawyks.
1. Introduction

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

Thus starts the legendary Star Wars saga that would be loved by many for years to come. But there was something else in that galaxy, too.

Our story begins on Ajané, the faraway planet previously unknown to all but those who lived there. 13 years ago, the planet fell into a time of chaos and darkness. But the people were not without hope, for there savior was coming in the form of a baby girl. It was prophesized that on her thirteenth birthday, she would fulfill her destiny and save Ajané from terror and destruction.

This is the story of Nikana Reklawyks.


	2. Prologue

Prologue

Ajané, 13 years ago

"How are they?" The king of Ajané was pacing outside the med ward, fearful for his wife and newborn daughter. There had been complications with the birth, and both were in critical condition. Judging by the doctor's expression, however, that had changed — and not for the better.

The doctor vowed his head in sadness, before giving his report. "I'm afraid the queen did not survive," he said sadly.

The king nodded, trying to hold back his heartbreak. He would not be able to grieve for his lost love until later, for his planet was engulfed in civil war. "And the girl?" he whispered, barely audible.

There was a hint of a smile on the doctor's face now. "She is doing fine. In fact, you can go in to see her now."

It was the king's turn to smile as he entered the med ward, eager to see his daughter.

"Nikana…"

* * *

**Hi people! Sorry this is really short, there wasn't much to say. Chapter 1 is in progress, and will be much longer. Also, I'm not sure how often I will be able to update this. I am very busy with homework, but will try to do at least one chapter every week. Please review, feedback gives my the inspiration I need to keep writing! Thanks to all who read this!**


	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Nikana Reklawyks was, for the first time in her life, shocked speechless.

Her social studies class had just watched the king's speech live, and Nikana could not believe what she was hearing. Her father was accepting applications from anyone 12 and older to be an ambassador for Ajané. Once he had enough people accept the job, they would be sent to Coruscant — to plead for help from the New Republic, who her father happened to despise. Supposedly, the people of Ajané needed assistance to overcome the current civil war.

"Why didn't he just ask me?" Nikana wondered aloud. "He said twelve and older… well, I'm almost thirteen. I wonder what he'll think when he sees my application…"

Nikana picked one of the forms by the door as she left for her next class, muttering as she went. The king was in for a nasty surprise…

* * *

2 weeks later…

The king of Ajané was shocked to see how few applications were in his mailbox. The deadline had come and gone, and only nine people had applied. He had been hoping for more than that, but it would have to do. He would send out the acceptance letters tomorrow, after he looked through them more carefully. He flipped idly through the forms, but stopped at the fourth one. He recognized that handwriting. Warily, he looked at the name on top, and nearly dropped his papers when he did.

His daughter had applied.

* * *

"Nikana Reklawyks, come down here right now!"

Nikana could tell that her father was not happy as she walked slowly down the stairs from her room. The king rarely got angry at her, but when he did, it was bad.

"Coming," she called back, her voice trembling. She couldn't think of any reason her father could be mad, unless he had somehow found about the incident in math… but he wouldn't likely be this mad even for that. She wracked her brain for possibilities, until she saw what her father was holding out to her. She stopped suddenly as she looked at her application. "Ummm…" Nikana found herself at a loss for words, a rare occasion for a politician's daughter.

"Why?" The king's voice was quieter now, gentler. "I thought you knew better than that… I didn't tell you about this, because I didn't want to lose you."

The pain in her father's voice was evident, and Nikana finally understood. He hadn't been angry… rather, he was worried about her. He didn't want to lose his daughter like he had her mother. For the first time, Nikana realized how foolish and impulsive her decision had been. She had not been thinking about how this would affect her father, instead focusing on herself.

"You'll be able to go," the king continued before Nikana had a chance to respond. "But only because I don't have enough people as it is. And please be careful. You can't imagine how painful it would be for me to lose you.

Nikana nodded, a silent promise to herself and her father that she would survive this trip.

* * *

**Yay! I finally finished this chapter! It's a little shorter than I would've liked, but I promised my friend I would have this up today, for her birthday. (If you're reading this right now, happy birthday and keep writing! You rock!) And now, I want to give a shout out to my favorite FanFiction author ever (and best friend) Spyrite Vesta. Seriously, she rocks and you should go check her stories out. After you leave me a review, of course! ;)**


	4. Chapter 2

"Ummm… hi, I'm Nikana Reklawyks…"

"Cassiopeia Piquelle."

"Lacessa Nalace."

"I'm Émélie Jeune. And, no offense, but aren't you a little young to be an ambassador?"

Nikana stiffened. This was her first time meeting the other ambassadors, and they all appeared to be much older than her. Émélie was right, she was a little young. But she was more than competent. "I've been doing political stuff since I was little. I'm plenty capable."

Émélie sniffed. "I certainly hope so."

An awkward silence settled about the group. It seemed no one wanted to be first to talk. They remained that way for a moment, until Lacessa decided to break the tension.

"Are we just going to stand here, or are we going to get on the ship?" She pointed in the direction of the large space cruiser that was being prepped for takeoff.

The other girls murmured their agreement, and they walked silently to the ship.

* * *

Journal of the princess Nikana Reklawyks of Ajané

Day 1

Today was mostly uneventful. I got to meet the other ambassadors though; they don't seem to like me very much. Other than that, we mostly just did our own things. It turns out Lacessa is a decent pilot, and she said it should take a couple of days to get to Coruscant. I'm probably going to start a new book tomorrow. I wonder if any of the other girls like to read…

* * *

Nikana was awoken the next morning by the sound of pots clanging in the kitchen. She reluctantly dragged herself out of bed to see that Cassiopeia was already up and making breakfast.

"Good morning," the older girl greeted her cheerfully – too cheerfully for that early in the morning. "I made pancakes, and fruit in the fridge. Oh, and I made caf, too."

_That's why she's so cheerful_, thought Nikana. _She's had too much caf_. She took a pancake, and was about to start eating when Lacessa walked in, rubbing her eyes.

"I would let Émélie sleep if I were you," she advised. "I tried to tell her we were having breakfast, and she threw a pillow at her head. She said she's very crabby if she doesn't get enough sleep."

They ate in silence for a few moments until Nikana had an idea. "Since we're going to be working together, shouldn't we get to know each other better?" she suggested. "Although, we should probably wait for Émélie."

"No need, I'm here." Émélie sauntered into the room, still in her pajamas. "So, what are we doing that you needed to wait for me for?"

"Nikana thinks we should get to know each better, since we're going to be working together. So, hi, I'm Cassiopeia Piqulle, I'm fourteen, I love to cook…"

"I'm Lacessa Nalace. I'm sixteen, and I love flying. I have my own ship at home, so I get a lot of practice, too."

"So that's why we didn't need to hire a pilot," guessed Nikana.

"Yep. I even have my pilot's license."

They sat in silence again until Émélie decided to speak up. "So, I'm Émélie Jeune, but you already know that. I'm fifteen, I love to read, and I get really crabby in the mornings. But you already know that, too." She glared at Lacessa, still annoyed at being woken up.

Nikana cleared her throat, interrupting their silent battle. "If you two are all done attempting to murder each other with your eyes, then I can introduce myself. Although, I'm not sure what I can say that you guys don't already know."

Émélie rolled her eyes. "Just say it. The rest of us had to."

Nikana suddenly seemed anxious. "Alright… so, I'm Nikana Reklawyks, I'm twelve –"

"Hang on. You're only twelve?" Lacessa interjected. "I always thought you were much older."

Nikana smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I get that a lot. But yes, I am only twelve. And I'm going to go read my new book now. Let me know if we're in mortal danger, 'kay?" She sauntered off to her room, leaving the other girls to wonder what the princess was hiding.

* * *

**So, what did you think? Was it long enough? Please review.**


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nikana was jolted out of her book by the alarm that suddenly sounded from the cabin. She had to admit, she was surprised. _When I asked them to warn me if we were in mortal danger_, she thought to herself, I_ didn't think we actually would be_.she rushed to cabin, where the other girls were already waiting somberly.

"We've been pulled out of hyperspace," Lacessa informed her. "We'll probably be boarded. "

"Oh. Pirates?"

Lacessa nodded solemnly. Silence filled the cabin as the girls tried not to think about what it would mean for their mission - and their planet - if anything happened to them.

Their reverie was interrupted by footsteps coming from the galley. They were being boarded.

"Don't tell them anything," Nikana warned. "We can't jeopardize the mission."

Her companions nodded their agreement as the pirates stalked into the cabin.

The tallest was the first to make any acknowledgement that the girls were there. "We're not looking for trouble -"

Émélie snorted. "Yeah, right. Which is why you're on our ship right now."

The pirate ignored her. "So if you'll cooperate, no one will get hurt."

Cassiopeia stepped forward. "And if we don't?"

The pirate flicked his wrist. It must have been a signal to the others, for a second later, Cassiopeia was on the ground, unconscious. "That's what will happen if you don't. So, what do you say? Will you cooperate, or should we take her?"

Nikana's political training finally kicked in. "I'm sure we can work out some kind of compromise," she offered.

The lead pirate shook his head. "We don't do compromises. It's all or nothing. Take her," he ordered his comrades.

Once they were gone, Lacessa slumped with grief. "We're down to three already," she whispered. I thought we'd at least all make it to Coruscant."

The three remaining ambassadors comforted each other as they kept a silent vigil for their lost friend.

* * *

**This chapter is really short, which is probably going to bug me later. But at least I finally got around to updating. I'm already working on chapter 4, so I should be able to update on time next week. Also, this is not actually edited, so if you see any mistakes, please let me know! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 4

**Yay! New chapter! On time! :) A couple familiar faces making an appearance in this chapter, too. Please review!**

* * *

Chapter 4

***3 days later***

"We're approaching Coruscant," Lacessa called out to her companions who were sitting quietly in the galley. Ever since Cassiopeia's abduction, they had all been much more subdued.

The other two joined her in the cabin, acknowledging her only with a nod.

Lacessa sighed. "C'mon guys… I miss her too, but we have to succeed on this mission. We are Ajané's last hope."

Nikana reluctantly admitted that Lacessa was right, while Émélie stubbornly remained silent. The three stared out the window at their destination. As they entered the atmosphere, the intercom crackled to life. "Unidentified ship, this is Public Hangar 1. Please state your name and business."

Lacessa was already pressing the button to respond. "Hangar 1, this is the _Liberty_, requesting permission to land. We're here on official New Republic business."

This was followed by a long pause,as if whoever was on the other end was contemplating whether or not they could be trusted.

"They better let us land," Émélie muttered bitterly. "If they don't, we'll have come all this way - and lost Cassiopeia - for nothing."

Nikana was about to reassure her, but was interrupted by the intercom.

"_Liberty_, permission granted to land in Docking Bay 7."

The girls cheered as Lacessa expertly landed the _Liberty_. Now, they just had to get to the senate building.

Nikana was the first to hop out of the ship. She pulled out a piece of paper with their directions to the senate building, and their identification. Scanning the map, she determined that the senate building was within walking distance, and the girls set off.

* * *

Leia Organa Solo was jolted out of the report she was reading by a knocking on her office door. She opened it to see three completely unfamiliar teenagers standing there, out of breath - presumably from climbing the stairs.

"You know, we do have an elevator," she remarked drily as she led them into her office. "I assume you're the girls they sent from - where was it - Ajané?"

Nikana nodded. "We were told to come to your office. That's all we know right now."

Leia sighed. "That's all they ever tell anyone. Now, if only I could find that file they sent me - " She rummaged around on her desk for a moment until she found the file in question. "Here we go. So, you're staying with…" She peered at the file, surprised. "Luke and Mara Skywalker. Hmm, Luke never mentioned this. Knowing him, he probably forgot about it. Anyway, you'll have a few days to get settled in before you'll have to present your case to the senate. That's really it for now. Do you need a ride?"

Lacessa stepped forward now. "That would be wonderful, thank you. As great a ship it is, the _Liberty_ is kind of bulky to fly around town."

Leia nodded in understanding. "A pilot, hmm? You'll get along wonderfully with my husband."

They continued making small talk as they took the elevator down to the exit.

* * *

Luke and Mara were watching a new holovid when they were interrupted by a knock on their door. Mara frowned in surprise, while Luke got up to see who it was. He was met with a surprise; Leia visited regularly, but who were those girls?

Leia answered his unspoken question. "These are Nikana Reklawyks, Lacessa Nalace, and Émélie Jeune. They are ambassadors to Ajané," she said pointedly. "The file said you and Mara volunteered to house them for the duration of their stay. So, here they are."

Luke scratched his head in confusion. "You know, I think I might actually remember agreeing to this…"

Leia snorted. "Good for you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm already late for dinner. Han'll wonder where I am."

She left, leaving Luke to deal with his newfound houseguests. Mara finally came to his rescue, sitting them down at the table and scooping out dinner. The five of them sat down to a delicious helping of nerd steaks. It was Mara who started the conversation, as the girls were thoroughly enjoying their meal.

"We only have one guest bed, but we do have two sleeping bags. That will have to do for now, until we can work out something better."

Émélie nodded gratefully. "Thank we so much. I hope we aren't causing any problems…"

Luke shook his head. "Not at all. We're happy to have you here."

The group slowly began to get to know each other, trading stories into the night.


End file.
